Radio antenna for automobiles and the like



Sept. 11, 1945.

A. T. MACE RADIO ANTENNA FOR AUTOMOBILES AND' THE LIKE Filed Jan. 24', 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ARTHUR 'r. Wu: ,mwww.

A. T. MACE Sept 11, 1945.

RADIO ANTENNA FOR AUTOMOBILES AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 24, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W12? 27 filn operating motor.

Patented Sept. 11, 1945 v UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE RADIO ANTENNA FOR AUTOMOBILES AND Arthur T. Mace, East'Cleveland,-0hio,'assignor to The Radiart Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, 11

corporation of Ohio t 1 Application January 24, 1944, Serial No. 519,432 r 8 Claims. (Cl. 250-33) This invention relates, as indicated, to an au- Referring more" particularly to the drawings,

tomobile radioantenna, but has reference more and especially toFijgs. 1 to 9 inclusive, the anparticularly to an antenna of the telescopic or extenna will be'seen to comprise a tubular metallic tensible-retractable typ which is adapted for housing I, closed at the bottom, as by means of operation by power means. a. wooden plug 2, and having secured within its A primary object of the invention is to provide upper end the tubular extension 3 of a gear box an antenna of the character describedwhich' is 4, provided witha removable cover 5.

adapted to be extended or retracted by the direct Disposed centrally within the tubular housing engagement of the walls of the antenna sections I is the lowermost section 6 of an antenna comby power driven means. 1o prising the tubular section 6, an intermediate Another object of the invention is to provide an tubular section 1, which is slidable' in the section antenna of the character described, having a 6, and an upper section in the form of a solid rod compact and eificient power unit for extending 8, which is slidable in the intermediate section I. and retracting the antenna. The rod 8 is provided at its upper end with a cap A further object of the invention is to provide element 9. V an antenna of the character described in which, The box 4 is also provided with an internally means are incorporated for centralizing the'anthreaded boss H), which is in axial alignment tenna rod during extension and retraction with the tubular extension 3 of the box and which thereof. has tnreadedly secured thereto an externally A still further object of the invention is topro- 2 threaded member ll, whereby the antenna may vide a power-driven antenna of the character 'debe threadedly secured to the cowl or other body scribed having means associated therewith for o tion of an automobile, diagrammatically repinsta-ntaneously ppin the antenna at any d resented by the 'reierence character C in Fig. 4. sired point in the extension or retraction there- The membervll is lined with a sleeve l2 of a 0L g5 suitable insulating material. A still further object of the invention is to pro- For the purpose of guiding and maintaining vide amotor-driven antenna of the character deth sectio 6 of th antenna, centrafly of the scribed having means associated therewith for tubular housing 1 during the upward and downa to at y stopp g the motor at the limits of ward movements of such section, an annular colt ns nd t t s as to prevent i j ry lar or spacer I3 is secured to the lower end of the or damage to the antenna parts. section 6 and substantially fills the space be- Other jects and advantages of he invention tween such, action and the inner wall of the houswill be aparent during the course of the following ing i, being maintained against axial displacedescription. ment from such section by means of metallic In the accompanying drawings, forming a part washers l4 and l5, which are threadedly secured of this specification, and in which like numerals to the section 6 and disposed in engagement with are employed to designate like parts throughout the opposite ends ofthe spacer l3. The washer [5 the same. I t is also secured against rotation about the section Fig. 1 is a front elevation of an antenna 'em- 6 by means oi a cotter pin It. The spacer I3 is bodying the novel features of the invention; made of a suitable insulating material, such as Fig. 2 is a view on an enlarged scale of the anhard rubber, Bakelite, or the like.

tenna, some parts being shown in elevation and Maintenance of the section 6 centrally of the some in section; tubular housing I is further assured by a sleeve Fig. 3 is an elevational' view of the gearbox or spacer" ll, also made 01' an insulating material cover; V and which substantially Iills the space between Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, the section 6 and the inner wall of the extension taken ontheline 4-4 of Fig.2; v 3. In order to insure free vertical movement of Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, the section 6 in htehousing I, ubstantial cleartaken on th lm 5-5 of Fig 2; I ance is provided between the spacer I1 and the Fig. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, section 6, but any tendency of the section 6 to tak n nth 1i 6 s of 2 move laterally as the' result of providing such Fig, 7 i diagram Qfthe it for operating clearance is entirely obviated by the provision the motor which'extends or retracts'the antenna; of two Pairs of buttons one Of d pairs being ,Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a, p eferred form of spaced 'circumferentially of the section 90 degrees switch which is used in the circuit of Fig. 7 the other P Each p (if/buttons Fig. 9 is a front elevation of the switch, and tends transversely through the sleeve and en- Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing se the s cti n" 6 at t i allypposite a modification in which limit switches are em- P and the two P serve to centralize t e ployed for automatically stopping he a t section 6 with respect to the housing I during the I upward and downward movement of such section and rovide a frictional load on section 6. The buttons l8 are resiliently urged against the section 6 by means of coil springs l9, which are housed in cup-like caps or housings of insulating material, which are threadedly secured to the tubular housing and extension 3 of the gear box. An antenna lead (not shown) may be taken off one of the springs l9 through its cap 20',

the cap being suitably shielded for this purpose.

Means are also provided for extending or lengthening and retracting or shortening the antenna. Such means comprises a small electric motor 2|, which is secured, as by screws 22, to the cover 5 of the gear box 4. The motor is a direct current motor of the reversing type, and is adapted to be driven by the ordinary G-volt battery of the automobile, a circuit for such drive being diagrammatically shown in Fig, 7. In this circuit, the main lines from the battery to the motor are indicated by the reference numerals 23 and 24. The operation of this circuit will be presently described.

Located within the gear box 4 is a pair of rolls 25 and 26 of rubber or other yielding material, these rolls being revolubly mounted on shafts or pins 21, the ends of which are rigidly secured to the arms of inverted U-shaped brackets 28 and 29.

The bracket 28 has non-rotatably mounted in the arms thereof, near the extremities of the latter, a shaft 30 of generally square cross-section which corresponds with a square opening 3| in one of the bracket arms. This shaft is provided at one end witha short circular trunnion 32, which projects beyond one arm of the bracket and at its other end with a reduced portion 33 mounting a bearing 34 and with a circular trunnion 35 which is somewhat longer than the trunnion 32 and projects through and beyond the other arm of the bracket 28. The projecting portions of the trunnions 32 and 35 are disposed in circular openings 36 and 31 in the gear box 4 and cover 5-, respectively, sothat the bracket is free to rock about the axes of the trunnions.

The bracket 29 has journalled in th arms thereof near the extremities of the latter,-a shaft 38, a portion of which is formed to provide'a pinion 39 and one end of which is recessed, as at 48, for the reception of a tenon on the shaft 4| of the motor 2|, whereby the shaft 38 is driven. The end portions of the shaft form trunnions, one of which is disposed in a bearing 42 mounted in the gear box and one arm of the bracket 29, and the other of which is disposed in an opening 42a in the cover 5, so that the bracket is free to rock about the axis of the shaft 38.

Each of the roll 25' and 26 is secured between a pair of disks 43 and 44, the roll and both discs being secured together as a unit by means of screws 41. These screws also have secured thereto gears 48.

The gear 48 which is associated with the roll 25 is adapted to be driven by a smaller gear 49 which is journalled on the bearing 34, and which, in turn, is driven by th pinion 39 of the shaft 38. The gear 48 which is associated with the roll 26 is adapted to be driven directly by the pinion 39.

The rolls 25 and 26 are biased toward the antenna rod by means of coil springs, one of such springs 49a connecting the bracket 28 to the gear box 4, and the other of such springs 50, connecting the bracket 29 to the gear box,

It will be apparent from the foregoing that as the shaft 38 is rotated, the rolls 25 and 26 will be rotated in opposite directions to extend or retract the antenna, depending upon the direction of rotation of the motor 2|. If it be assumed that the antenna is substantially completely retracted, as shown in Fig. 2, and that th motor 2| i rotated in a direction to extend the antenna, the rotation of the rolls 25 and 26 will, due to the frictional yielding engagement of such rolls with the antenna section 8, first fully extend such section. Thereafter the rolls, by their continued rotation, will extend the section I of the antenna, the brackets 28 and 29 moving outwardly against the tension of the springs 49a and 50 to accommodate the larger daimeter of the section I. Then, after the section 1 has been fully extended, the rolls, by their continued rotation will extend the section 6 of the antenna, the brackets 23 and 29 moving still further outwardly against the tension of the springs to accommodate the larger diameter of the section I.

When the antenna has been thus extended to its maximum effective length, a rubber washer 5|, mounted on the washer l4, will engage the lower end of the tubular extension 3 of the gear box 4', and thus prevent the antenna from being fed completely out of the housing The rubber washer 5|, moreover, will prevent shock and iniury'to the parts. Since the rolls 25 and 26 may slipon the antenna section 6 after the rubber washer 5| comes into engagement with the extension 3, injury to the operating mechanism is thus definitely precluded. If desired, however, a. clutch such as shown in my U. S. Patent No. 2,329,404, or in my copending application, Serial No. 401,174, may be incorporated in the 1 operating mechanism.

In order to retract the antenna, the motor 2| will be operated to reverse the direction of rotation of the rolls 25 and 26, and this causes the sections 6, 1 and 8 to be successively retracted into the housing In order to cushion the impact of the section Ii when it is fully retracted, cushions 52 of sponge rubber or the like are provided in the bottom of the housing above the plug 2.

It may be noted that the shaft 30 is recessed at 53 in order to accommodate the passage of the antenna sections through the gear box.

In order to operate the motor 2| in a direction to cause the desired movement of the antenna, a switch of the type shown in Figs. 8 and 9 is preferably used, being suitably mounted on the dashboard of the automobile. This switch provides an up and down position, and the motor will operate as long as the switch is held in the up or down position. When the desired movement of the antenna has been efiected, the handle 54 of the switch is released, and a spring 55 returns the switch to the neutral or oil position shown in Figs. '7, 8 and 9, stopping the motor 2| The motor 2| is thus stopped instantaneously whenever desired by merely releasing the handle.

In order to cause the motor 2| to be stopped at the extreme limits of extension or retraction of the antenna, even though the operator should forget to release the switch handle, limit switches 56 and 51, such as shown in Fig. 10, may be utilized, such switches being mounted on the housing in suitable insulated relation to the latter. Each of these limit switches is normally closed, and each is provided with a roller 58 which is adapted to be engaged by the annular spacer |3 to thereby open the switch, as indicated at the lower end of Fig. 10.

It is to be understood that the form of my "invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of my invention, or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In an antenna of the character described, a tubular housing having, a gear box mounted on said housing, an antenna rod comprising a plurality of telescoped sections of varying diameter normally disposed in said housing, power driven rolls in said gear box, said rolls adapted by their rotation to engage said sections successively, beginning with the section of smallest diameter and ending with the section of largest diameter, and thereby extend the antenna rod, and means for driving said rolls, said means comprising gears rigidly attached to said rolls at one side of said rolls, a pinion for driving one of said gears and the other of said gears being driven in the opposite direction by said pinion through the intermediary of a third gear.

2. In an antenna of the character described, a tubular housing, a gear box mounted on said housing, an antenna rod comprising a plurality of telescoped sections of varying diameter normally disposed in said housing, power driven rolls in said gear box'adapted by their rotation to engage said sections successively, beginning with the section of smallest diameter and ending with the section of largest diameter, and thereby extend the antenna rod, and means for centralizing the antenna rod in said housing and for yieldingly resisting movement of one of said sections including, a pair of spring pressed memr bers disposed on opposite sides of said antenna and being resiliently urged against said antenna.

3. In an antenna of the character described, a tubular housing, an extensible and retractable antenna rod in said housing, means for extending and retracting said antenna rod, an electric motor for driving said means, and means for automatically stopping said motor when said antenna has been fully extended or fully retracted, said automatic stopping means comprising switches mounted on said housing adjacent the upper and lower ends thereof and having switch actuating members normally projecting into said housing and being engageable by a cam-like element carried by said antenna rod.

4. In an antenna of the character described, an antenna rod comprising a plurality of telescoped sections of different diameters, a housing for said antenna; and means for withdrawing and returning said antenna rod to said housing, including a pair of brackets, each bracket having a gear rotatably mounted thereon and a roller driven by the gear and engageable with said antenna, two driving gears meshing with one another, one of said driving gears meshing with the gear on one of said brackets and the other driving gear meshing with the gear on the other of said brackets, said one bracket being mounted for movement in an arc whose center coincides with the center of the driving gear meshing with the gear carried by said one bracket, a device for resiliently urging said one bracket in a direction for urging the gear carried by said one bracket toward the gear carried by the other of said brackets, and a device for driving one of said driving gears.

5. In an antenna of the character described, an antenna rod comprising a plurality of telescoped sections of difierent diameters, a housing for said antenna; and means for withdrawing and returning said antenna rod to said housing, including a pair of brackets, each bracket having a gear rotatably mounted thereon and a roller driven by the gear and engageable with said antenna, two driving gears meshing with one another, one of said driving gears meshing with the gear on one of said brackets and the other driving gear meshing with the gear on the other of said brackets, said one bracket being mounted for movement in an arc whose center coincides with the center of the driving gear meshing with the gear carried by said one bracket, and a device for driving one of said driving gears.

6. In an antenna of the character described, an antenna rod comprising a plurality of telescoped sections of difierent diameters, a housing for said antenna; and means for withdrawing and returning said antenna rod to said housing, including a pair of brackets, each bracket having a gear rotatably mounted thereon and a roller driven by the gear and engageable with said antenna, two driving gears meshing with one another, one of said driving gears meshing with the gear on one of said brackets and the other driving gear meshing with the gear on the other of said brackets, each of said brackets being mounted for movement in an are having its center coinciding with the center of the driving gear meshing with said gear carried by the respective brackets, and a device for driving one of said driving gears.

7 In an antenna of the character described, an antenna rod comprising a plurality of telescoped sections of difierent diameters, a housing for said antenna; and means for withdrawing and returning said antenna rod to said housing, including a pair of brackets, each bracket having a gear rotatably mounted thereon and a roller driven by the gear and engageable with said antenna, two driving gears meshing with one another, one of said driving gears meshing with the gear on one of said brackets and the other driving gear meshing with the gear on the other of said brackets, each of said brackets .being mounted for movement in an are having its center coinciding with the center of the driving gear meshing with said gear carried by the respective brackets, a device for resiliently urging said brackets toward one another, and a device for driving one of said driving gears.

In an antenna of the character described, an antenna rod comprising a plurality of telescoped sections of different diameters, a housing for said antenna; a gear box mounted on said housing; a pair of brackets pivotally mounted in said gear box, said brackets each carrying a roller engageable with said antenna, said rollers being on opposite sides of the antenna for extending and retracting said antenna from said housing; means resiliently urging said brackets about their pivots and toward one another for causing frictional engagement between said rollers and antenna; a gear carried by each of said brackets and connected in driving relation with the roller carried by the respective brackets; a driving gear carried by each bracket, said driving gears meshing with one another and with the roller driving gear carried by the respective brackets, said driving gears having their axes coincident with the axes of the pivots for the respective brackets; and means for driving one of said driving gears.

ARTHUR T. MACE. 

